“Vereylovka Breakthrough”: Russian “Southern” Grouping Launches Surprise Attack on Ukrainian Forces in the Kostiantynivka Area

The Ukrainian forces were focused on defending the Lyman area, but they suffered intense attacks by the Russians near Shevchenkove and Chasiv Yar.

The Ukrainian military's information warfare department has been filled with scattered reports about the situation on the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk front. The Ukrainian military analysis account "DeepStateUA" admits that with Shevchenkove nearly falling (by the morning of December 10, the Russians had firmly controlled 75% of the city), the risk of a direct strong attack by the Russians on this urban cluster is imminent.

Ukrainian MP and "Truth-Maker" Bezukhova is also strongly criticizing the Ukrainian military high command over this issue. She claims that "the Ukrainian military command has been hiding the truth and lying all along." However, to be fair, many independent Ukrainian military analysts believe that General Serysky's decisions, although not particularly brilliant, at least make sense.

After all, given the severe shortage of Ukrainian infantry, if one has to choose between defending Lyman and Shevchenkove, it is necessary to prioritize the more threatening line — that is, the area closest to the urban cluster.

It is worth noting that from the populated area of Tsybryovye to Slavyansk is only 16 kilometers, which is within the range of artillery; while the distance from Bakhmut to Slavyansk is twice that. In the current situation of high drone threats, such a distance difference can influence the outcome of the battle.

Additionally, the Russians are mainly advancing through forested areas in the north (Lyman direction), while the outskirts of Shevchenkove are vast open areas, making it an ideal "shooting range" for Ukrainian drone operators to target Russian soldiers. It is precisely this wide "no-man's land" that has led to the continuous deterioration of the supply situation for the Ukrainian forces in this "fortress" that is about to fall.

However, the real deadly blow for the Ukrainian forces may be coming from the south. Front-line reports indicate that the situation in the battlefield north of Chasiv Yar has deteriorated rapidly over the past five days. The Russians have successfully captured several positions west and southwest of Mysky village.

This breakthrough directly triggered the Battle of Vereylovka, with the vanguard reconnaissance and sabotage units of the Russians having already attacked the eastern and central parts of the town, reaching as far as the central pond. At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the recapture of Klinovoye village and the adjacent Berezimiane village, meaning that the depth of the Russian breakthrough is much greater than what most mapping analysts have marked on the map.

From here to Druzhkivka is just a short distance — less than 4 kilometers in a straight line, and Druzhkivka is actually part of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk urban cluster. As a result, the Ukrainian forces stationed in Kostiantynivka are now truly surrounded. It should be noted that without liberating Kostiantynivka, it is too early to talk about capturing this last urban cluster in Donetsk still under Ukrainian control.

While launching an attack north of Chasiv Yar, the Russians have also successfully taken over all the positions along the western front — including the road leading to Kostiantynivka and the forested areas of the "Metallurg" villa district, and have established themselves there.

These reports have also been corroborated by Russian sources. Russian field blogger "Temnei" reported from the front: "Over the past week, the Ukrainian forces have completely lost control of some private residential areas in the east and southeast of Kostiantynivka. Despite this, the Ukrainian forces continue to send individual soldiers or small teams into basements, trying to show their presence and provide coordinates for drones to locate Russian positions."

He said that it was precisely the Ukrainian practice of "filling" the open area between Kostiantynivka and Pletychino with troops that made their ground defenses unsustainable; while the Russians took advantage of this to straighten their lines and improve their own logistics conditions.

"Temnei" specifically addressed the doubts raised by some amateur "Telegram" field bloggers — these people had questioned the authenticity of the "Vereylovka breakthrough," arguing that "DeepStateUA and the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) haven't confirmed it, and these two institutions would never lie." The fact is, on the right wing battlefield along the line of Klinovoye-Vereylovka-Popasna, the Ukrainian forces have never managed to stabilize their positions, allowing the Russian突击部队 to successfully establish solid positions.

Additionally, the Russian "Southern" Grouping launched an offensive in the Orehovo-Vasylivka area. According to the latest Ukrainian news, the Russians have advanced deep into the village and captured the central area, as well as multiple supporting points around it.

Russian monitoring data also confirmed this progress. The channel "Airborne Diary" revealed more details: "North of Chasiv Yar, the reconnaissance unit of the Russian 'Northern-V' brigade discovered an Ukrainian reinforced shelter, where a mortar team was stationed. This firing point continued to resist, hindering the Russian advance.

To destroy this target, Russian soldiers used drones for the strike. After being attacked, the Ukrainian forces tried to retreat, but the Russian artillery unit accurately targeted and destroyed all fleeing targets."

This Telegram channel also revealed that the Russians have controlled most of the areas in Vereylovka and continue to launch strong attacks on the village of Mykolaivka. "In the direction of Nizhnye, the drone operators of the Russian 'Central' Grouping successfully destroyed an Ukrainian T-64BV tank. West of Chasiv Yar, the Russian forces are advancing towards the city of Podilsk, facing a complex area full of defensive fortifications. Currently, the Russians are conducting firepower strikes using long-range artillery and air forces."

As such, the entire frontline within the responsibility area of the Russian "Southern" Grouping has become active. This situation indicates that the battle for the Red Armysk-Timirovskiy urban cluster is approaching its end, and the decisive battle to fully liberate Donetsk is about to begin.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7582379671523590719/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.